Jet City Washer - Planter

Didn't have much time on the schedule to draw, but Tamra suggested coffee and even if its a quick sketch at Jet City Espresso, I was a happy camper the rest of the day. Funny how therapeutic sketching can be...... yes, this is a subject I've done before. Cool to see things start to green up and bloom.

Lake Washington Seattle View

A couple of days before New Years I hiked out to the Lake Washington Boathouse. The view is looking Northwest to downtown Seattle (Mercer Island is on the right). I'm amazed at how much the end of the lake has filled in with sand, soil and debris. It's not seen during the summer months and I wonder if it is dredged annually. You can just see the Columbia Tower and a couple of other tall buildings peeking over the ridge and the Olympic Mountains were in crisp view.

This was a very cold day and the sketching was fast. Pen and ink with watercolor.

A great new sketchbook!

A huge thanks goes out to my friend Marty Bauer who hand made me a beautiful leather bound sketchbook complete with sturdy watercolor and fountain pen friendly paper. This is a sweet book to sketch in and it seemed logical that a 'Jet City' sketch be the first. The horse is from a child's rocker.

Jet City West From the Island

This sketch was done looking West from Jet City Espresso (Renton) and incorporates the plant life that is coming into bloom as well as the vegetation that is flourishing in the old time washing machine. The wrought iron gates wired to the old gas station island makes an interesting pattern and challenge to draw. This was one of the few sunny days this spring in the Seattle area, fear not, by late afternoon it was pouring again.

A Terrible Beauty - Renton, WA

The Irish pub in Renton known as 'A Terrible Beauty' (from 'Easter' a William Butler Yeats poem) has gone through a number of names and owners until getting it right this time. Though the outside of the building is one of the ugliest things ever designed, the inside takes you straight to Limerick and you won't go wrong ordering from the kitchen - both Irish and NW fare done well. The staff is friendly and it is not unusual to find a musician or two playing next to the fireplace on a Sunday afternoon. I called this sketch a 'Family Portrait' for the way they are all lined up together. This was a multi-visit effort (or just an excuse to go back)

Jet City Hats

This was an attempt to go bolder in color. Much more practice is needed.

Restricted Clearance

This sketch was done underneath Highway 405 looking through a railroad trestle at the skate park in downtown Renton. I had walked from Maplewood Golf Course to Renton on the Cedar River Trail.

Jet City Tree

This great big tree grows out from underneath the gas pump island - how long does that take? Tamra and I had a late night and early morning so we snuck off to Jet City for a coffee and a sketch.

Hot Zone - Jet City Revisited

This is the shelf above the barista's head at Jet City Espresso. A rusty old tuba, odd collection of cups, etch-a-sketch, a Bob Marley & the Wailers album and a base drum. Sat here on a Sunday morning sketching, drinking coffee and listening to A Prairie Home Companion...

Renton Boeing Plant/Lake Washington Canoe & Kayak

The Renton Boeing Plant sits right on the South end of Lake Washington. There is a fishing and recreation pier on the lake that parallels the aircraft plant. You can draw or fish and listen to Rosie the Riveter build airplanes. The fisherman at the end of the pier didn't move for the longest time, it was a tangled line or taking a nap...

Jet City Revisited

My panic over the demise of Jet City Espresso was premature. Seems the bad economy has put the breaks on the condo project that would have replaced this shrine to Fred Sanford and packrats worldwide. It started raining while drawing this sketch and that is a good thing. I'm a native of the Puget Sound and need a good downpour every once in a while or I get a little cranky. It hasn't really rained here since May 19th.....